mmmooommm

Thank you for any input on this itinerary. Husband and I have driven in Italy before. Wanting to explore new areas to us. Flying into Milan and out of Rome. 30 day stay, mid September through mid October. We like to drive and explore off the beaten track areas and do realize many of these areas are heavily touristed, but this is our plan. We will take a train as needed if we decide to go to CT, or Florence, but primarily wanting to explore by car. Leaving out some destinations we would enjoy but can't do it all....or should we opt to go to Parma? Bologne? Modena? Padova? Cortina? What would you skip if you added some of these options?

Any can't miss destinations? accomodations or towns to base ourselves? restaurants?

5 nights in Piemonte staying in Alba

4 nights staying in ??? to explore Verona and Lake Garda

5 nights staying near Lucca (?) to explore northern Tuscany/Chianti, perhaps a train/day trip to CT,

5 nights in Val d'Orcia staying near San Quirico perhaps? Il Rigo (thanks Stu) has been recommended

5 nights in Umbria, haven't decided where to base

5 nights in Rome, because we love it! will turn in car beforehand

J62

Finally we see an itinerary that's not 10 different hotels in 5 days.... or something like that... Nothing to add about spefic places at this point... Just a thank you for a pause in that insanity...

Some of my favorite trips have been longer stays in off the beaten track locations, and it's now my preferred travel style.

I"ve stayed a week at a converted farmhouse complex outside Montepulciano (not officially an agritourismo since they didn't meet the official criteria, but a wonderful stay none the less. It was ages ago, and I forget the name at the moment. They had family style dinners a few nights a week for all guests, and cooking facilities for us to eat on our own. Only downside is you had to drive to go anywhere.

I've stayed a week in an AirBnb / self catering in Spello, and loved it as well. Handy to drive to Assisi or Perugia. it was nice to stay in a town where we could walk to get a coffee & danish, or dinner or a small market. Out in the country everything is a drive...

I've stayed a week in a small hill town (Colle de Val D'este) - town was a little too small for our liking, but the apartment was lovely.

HappyTrvlr

We love the Piemonte! Enjoy visiting the wine villages and dining on Vitello Tonnato. Delicious!
For Lake Garda, stay in Saló, a lovely town recommended by European friends on the lake’s SW coast.. It was wonderful, few if any Americans,lovely shops and dining.
Rather than staying near Lucca to explore N. Tuscany, stay in Chianti between Siena and Florence in one the historic Chianti villages such as Castellina, Panzano, Radda, etc.We have rented homes in this area four times.
Umbria- We spent two weeks in wonderful Spello. There are tourists but it is still a real town filled with plenty of locals. We rented a house at the top of the town from friends.
Rome- you can’t go wrong! Our favorite rental was a short distance from Piazza Navona.
What a fabulous trip you are planning!

lrice

Sounds wonderful! What a great opportunity!

We recently spent a week in Florence, and while definitely a city, it's relatively small feeling and we loved the art, architecture and restaurants. The Oltrano neighborhood across the bridge feels more authentic, local and charming.

Last decade, we spent a lot of time at a family member's house in Castello di Casole, and the charming towns of Volterra, San Gimignano and Montalcino, Pisa and the hill towns of Mensano, Radicondoli and Casole d’Elsa. Sienna would be a good base in this area.

just_tina

This trip sounds great. There's nothing I would skip in favour of the other places you mention. An ideal time of year too.
About Lake Garda and Verona, Salo is nice but somewhere on the eastern side is more convenient for Verona.

SusanP

A friend and I spent five nights in Spoleto in Umbria. It was great! I don't know about parking, though, as we didn't drive. We took two wonderful day trips, one to a couple of wineries and another to an olive farm and Bevagna.

carrom

While in the Verona zone you could maybe consider heading North into Trentino. Trento is a pretty town and off the beaten track. Also great wineries in the area (I am not allowed to advertise but we have a winery there!) and September/October is harvest time. And there are the Dolomites of course.

rosetravels

This looks wonderful. We stayed 5 nights at an agiturismo near Pienza that served family style dinners at a long table every night and loved it. Fun day trips and the aperitivo time every evening chatting on the lawn with all the guests is something you don't forget. (Agriturismo Podere Spedalone)

I am still looking for our perfect spot in Umbria. We have stayed in Spoleto and that's fine. We stayed outside of Spello for 4 nights at Il Bastione and don't recommend it (the food was not good) but we had dinner near Bevagna a couple of times and really enjoyed that west side of the valley. Next time I'd stay near there or near Assisi.